You’ve come a long way with your dissertation project, and now it’s time to wrap it up with the conclusion chapter. In this guide, you’ll learn how to write a conclusion for your dissertation or thesis project in the shortest time possible.
In a dissertation project, the conclusion is the final chapter, which summarizes your study results.
While certain publications, such as journal articles and research papers, combine discussion and conclusion in one chapter, a dissertation or thesis needs to have a conclusion chapter of its own.
What is the Purpose of the Conclusion Chapter?
The conclusion chapter is generic and high-level in character. It will take a larger view, reflecting on the major research findings. Then, you’ll explain how you used those findings to answer your research question.
The goal of the conclusion chapter is to summarize your study’s important points and to inform the reader of what they should take away from your work. Essentially, you must explain:
- What you discovered
- Why what you discovered is useful
- The possible implementation of your discovery and
- Possible studies that other researchers should consider conducting
As a guiding rule, don’t copy and paste what you wrote in your discussion chapter into the conclusion chapter.
What Should I Include in the Conclusion Chapter of a Dissertation?
A strong dissertation conclusion chapter should:
- Summarize the study’s major results
- Discuss the study’s shortcomings and flaws.
- Clearly respond to the research question(s) and address the research objectives
- Inform the reader of the primary contributions of the study.
- Make recommendations for more research.
Notably, you must avoid including fresh results or data points. Your conclusion chapter should focus on the data and analysis findings offered in the previous chapters.
Perhaps one of the most common practices when it comes to reading a dissertation project is that a reader will go immediately to the conclusions chapter to check the study’s objective and important findings.
As a result, when writing your conclusion chapter, it’s helpful to imagine that the reader hasn’t read your dissertation or thesis’s internal chapters. Your conclusion chapter should show a strong link and a natural flow between the introduction and conclusion chapters.
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How to Write a Dissertation Conclusion
Now that you have a better understanding of what the conclusion chapter is about, here’s how you can structure and write the introduction chapter from start to finish:
1. Start with a Brief Introduction
In this introduction part, inform the reader about the contents of the chapter and the order in which they’ll discover them.
The purpose here is to offer the reader a taste of what’s to come, not a synopsis of the chapter. Therefore, make it brief and succinct. A paragraph or two should be enough.
2. Write an Analysis of the Overall Findings of the Study
Explain the study’s overall findings in relation to the research objectives and research questions.
Zoom out a little and focus on the larger findings, especially how they contribute to meeting the study objectives.
Begin by reminding your reader of your study objectives and research questions, since this helps to contextualize the findings. Phrases such as “this research intended to…” and “the results show that…” will almost certainly come in helpful in this area.
Avoid making assertions such as “this study demonstrates that” or “the findings refute the established hypothesis.” It is unlikely for a single research to confirm or deny something. So, do not make unduly strong statements in the end of your dissertation.
3. Explain How Your Research Contributes to the Field of Study
Describe the theoretically and practically affect that your research has had on the area of study. Here’s where you discus the results of your study, emphasizing their significance and value, and demonstrating how they may be used or used.
- Mention any research outcomes resulting from your investigation.
- Inform the reader how your study resolves your research challenge and why this is significant.
- Discuss your findings in light of relevant ideas. For instance, does it corroborate or constructively challenge these theories?
- Consider the gaps in existing research and explain how your work helps to close those gaps.
Create a good balance between assertiveness and humility in your arguments here. At the same time, you must deliver your points confidently, stating unequivocally the value of your study, regardless of how modest that value may be.
4. Highlight the Shortcomings of the Study
Depending on your university’s structure preferences, you may have previously addressed this in the discussion chapter, so be cautious not to repeat yourself excessively.
Numerous restrictions may apply to any particular research. Several examples include the following:
- Issues in sampling that limit the generalizability of the findings
- Bias on the part of the researcher or a lack of expertise
- Restricted data access or inadequate sample size
- Techniques for collecting or analyzing data at a low resolution
- Budget limits impose restrictions on several parts of the investigation.
While discussing the limits of your study may seem self-defeating, it is a necessary component of high-quality research. It is critical to recognize that all studies have limits and recognizing these limitations lends credibility to your study by demonstrating that you understand the constraints of your research design.
It is important to find a balance between acknowledging the limits of your study and emphasizing its value despite those constraints. Demonstrate to the reader that you understand the limits, that they are justified in light of the constraints, and that you understand how they might be improved.
5. Give Recommendations for Further Research
Provide recommendations for more research based on the constraints you described.
A good source of future research recommendations may be any data points or analytic findings that were fascinating or unexpected but did not immediately connect to your study’s research objectives and research questions.
The goal here is to discuss how other researchers might build on your findings to advance the field of knowledge and contribute to its development. Therefore, consider the new questions presented by your work carefully and explicitly explain them for future scholars to pursue.
6. Conclude With a Clear and Precise Summary
The concluding summary should act as a fast reference for your readers, recapitulating the points made throughout the conclusion chapter. Ascertain that you do not introduce any new information